American English
What do Americans call a “petrol station”?
Gas station
In Welsh English, the intonation and syntax show the influence of which language?
Welsh
Canadian spelling mixes British and American forms. Which is correct in Canada: “colour” or “color”?
Colour
What shortened word do Australians use for “afternoon”?
Arvo
What is the name of the variety of English spoken in Nigeria that includes local language features?
Nigerian English
What do Americans call the “lift” that British people ride?
Elevator
In which region of the British Isles do speakers pronounce a strong “r” sound and have long vowels, e.g. in “car”?
Scotland
Canadians often add “eh” at the end of sentences. What function does it serve?
A tag question (seeking confirmation)
Australians often replace -er or -ie endings with -o. Give another example besides “arvo.”
Servo (service station), smoko (break)
What is the term for a simplified form of English used as a common language among speakers of different native languages?
Lingua franca
Americans pronounce the r sound at the end of words, while many British speakers don’t. What type of pronunciation is this called?
Rhotic accent
What is the name of the accent traditionally associated with educated speakers in southern England?
Received Pronunciation (RP)
What word do Canadians use for a car’s “trunk” (following British influence)?
Boot
In the word “mate,” Australians pronounce the diphthong differently than British speakers. What type of difference is this?
Phonetic difference
In which African region is English often mixed with Swahili, forming hybrid expressions?
East Africa (Kenya, Tanzania)
In American English, the word “color” is spelled without one letter that appears in British English. Which letter is missing?
The letter “u” (colour → color)
Which informal phrase do many British people use instead of “How are you?”?
“You alright?” or “Alright?”
What do Canadians call knitted winter hats that Americans call “beanies”?
Toques (or tuques)
Australian English developed under the influence of which two main varieties?
British and Irish English
What do we call varieties that use English vocabulary but local grammar, such as those spoken in the Caribbean?
Pidgin or Creole English
In American English the past form “learned” is preferred, while in British English it’s “learnt.” What kind of difference is this?
Morphological difference (irregular verb pattern)
Irish speakers often say “I’m after doing it” instead of “I’ve just done it.” What grammatical feature does this illustrate?
The Irish “after + gerund” construction for recent actions
What phonetic phenomenon makes words like “about” and “house” sound like “aboot” and “hoose”?
Canadian Raising
The word “bottle-o” means a liquor store. What kind of word formation is this?
Clipping + suffix -o (typical in Aussie slang)
In South African English, the expression “just now” means “in a while” rather than “a moment ago.” What kind of difference is this?
Semantic shift